Bill Gertz at the Washington Beacon writes that US intelligence is encountering the names of folks we used to think were dangerous, so we locked them up in Guantanamo Bay – until we didn’t think so anymore;

U.S. intelligence agencies recently reported that 168 terrorists of 602 detainees that were transferred to other countries from Guantanamo rejoined terrorist groups or otherwise took part in insurgent and terrorist activities. Many of the released terrorists are being held by foreign governments or were killed.

“They’re not only in Syria but in adjoining countries,” said one official familiar with intelligence reports. “A number of Gitmo parolees have graduated out of their rehab programs and returned to the fight.”

Well, that’s because even though we’ve unilaterally decided that the war against terror is over, the enemy is of a different mind. We released German prisoners after the Second World War ended and they didn’t go back to being Nazis and waging war because there was no war to back to.

But, then is probably our fault because we took completely innocent people off the street and radicalized them in prison – at least that’s what the hippie chick from Amnesty International told me a few years back.

When you don’t end a war with the unconditional surrender of your enemy it gives the enemy the idea that the war continues. When you mistakenly release those committed to killing you there should be no surprise to find them back on the field of battle trying to kill you again. They should be held without hope of release until AQ surrenders, that should mean for most of them they will die in a US military facility. I also believe we should show them the same courtesy while our prisoners that they show their prisoners. They have determined what they believe the ROE to be, much as the Japanese did in WW2 and we treated the Japanese in combat zones with the same consideration they gave our troops. Once their nation surrendered and agreed to the unconditional surrender terms we ceased killing their families through bombing campaigns that burned entire cities to the ground. Before that moment every city in Japan that had any kind of industry at all was considered a fair target.

AQ wants to kill the infidels, we should let them know we believe them and intend to respond in kind. It’s too bad we don’t let them know we intend to use their ROE and kill their families as well. AQ has decided that everyone is a viable target, your children, your families, once they are captured we could show them the video of the drone strike that kills their mothers and fathers and remind them they initiated these rules we are just following their lead in determining appropriate targets. I have no more concern for the families of the AQ members than they do for mine. We once had the will to bring death to those that would do the same to us, that lack of will today could prove most harmful in the long run.

B Woodman: works for me after they’ve had their mil tribunal. But why waste all that good pork? Several tons of liquid sewage dumped from a tanker would work just as well – that’s also “unclean”. (smile)

“Once their nation surrendered and agreed to the unconditional surrender terms we ceased killing their families through bombing campaigns that burned entire cities to the ground. Before that moment every city in Japan that had any kind of industry at all was considered a fair target.”

VOV, think you need to relook the way wars were fought then – civilian populations were considered to be supports for the military and EVERYONE who could attack an enemy civilian center did so, not just the Americans bombing Japan. As examples,you might look up the Blitz in London, the bombing of Coventry, the British and American air raids on German cities, Zhukov shelling Berlin, etc. It was always cited as an anomoly: the US has engaged in wars for over two centuries, and other than than isolated incidents, has not been subject to our own territory being threatened. We gave up attacking civilian populations after WWII…. you may note that we have not decisively won a war since then, either.

@8 I know my history well, since I was referring to how the US is currently conducting itself I only referred to the US in that war.

In fact I think I indicated the Japanese set the ROE and the US followed suit, if you inferred that I believed the US initiated such activities I clearly did not express myself very well.

There is no moral high ground in warfare, one side wishes to eliminate the other. We are fooling ourselves when we attempt to convince ourselves otherwise. When your enemy engages you they often indicate their expectation for the ROE by their initial activity. My point was that their initial activity was an attack on a civilian structure containing office workers and children. Since AQ considers that a valid target I calculate they must assume their families are also valid targets and we should engage those targets sooner, rather than later. Also AQ has a habit of killing their prisoners, I am not opposed to killing AQ prisoners either. As a nation however I suspect we lack the will to do so. If we can’t kill those who murder children and the elderly, we are unlikely to suddenly find the conviction to kill our external enemies.

Curtis Lemay indicated for his part in the US air war he expected he would be considered a war criminal had we lost. He also said all war is immoral and if you let that bother you, you are not a good soldier. I agree with his assessment.

FatCircles0311@11, does that mean that AQ has Gitmo posers? Now that would be funny! Hanging out at the local VFJ (veteran’s of Foriegn Jihad) talking the talk, but not walking the walk. And there were have to be a few that embellished their creds to score a little something-something to see what lies beneath the burqa. And one or two would be embezzling funds from their post. We have the posers, why wouldn’t they?

I am furiously working on a stolen valor story for Duffel blog right now. none of you better beat me to posting a story on there, or i’ll get that California patent Attorney from the law offices of Mo-Fo on your ass.

Just another reason we should be supporting Assad not fighting against him. You don’t stabilize a region by enacting regime change, stupid. Who cares if the Russians and Chinese are friends of Syria, the Cold War is over people. Liberal Democracy will never work for a conservative society.

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We are all military combat veterans and we write primarily from that perspective. Everyone who writes here has a Combat Infantry Badge, a Combat Medic Badge, a Combat Action Badge or a Combat Action Ribbon. We write about issues that matter to combat veterans..read more »